By Andrea Guachalla
If you are anywhere interested in movies and pop culture, you’ve probably come across pictures of the outfits celebrities wear to premieres, press tours, and awards. And if you’ve paid enough attention you’ve probably realized that it has become growingly common for women in these events to attend almost, and to their shame, completely naked.
Dresses come with deep, deep cleavages, big openings in the back, mini skirts, and sheer fabric that exposes the nudity of these women. It is hard to think of an actress, or female musician whose breasts or other attributes haven’t been willingly shown on TV by their owners.
Of course, many of us know those fashion trends come from feminism. The sexual liberation of women not only includes inverting roles with men, and promoting sexual promiscuity, but also the complete desinhibition and lack of shame from women. That’s how we ended up having Emma Stone acknowledging publicly and proudly that she would like to live the life of a nymphomaniac, like the one she plays in her recent movie Poor Things.
Years ago it was still stigmatized that women be promiscuous and dress sensually, today it still is in many parts of the world. But it’s becoming increasingly more common that women get fooled by feminism and start exhibiting their naked bodies in protests, and being sexually immoral. We see that not only in movies, shows, and protests in first world countries. We see that around us.
School girls wearing mini (almost non existent) skirts to school, girls wearing deep cleavages, or wearing the tightest leggings they can find in stores. And all for what? To feel empowered by sexualizing themselves? Deconstruct traditional beauty and femininity?
Why do we wear clothes?
When Adam and Eve were created by God and as long as they lived in the garden of Eden they were naked. There was no shame in that. Everything was as God had ordained.
However, in Genesis 3 it is recounted that Adam and Eve, who until then had a perfect relationship with God, fell in sin by disobeying God’s command: “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17). And so the fall of man took place right then and there, and it came with grave and severe consequences for mankind.
What is to note here is that they become aware and ashamed of their nakedness immediately after they have sinned (Gen 3:7). That is one of the consequences of their trespass. And so Adam and Eve sew figleaves to use them as loincloths.
That wasn’t meant to be.
The original state of men where he was in complete peace with the Creator, didn’t come with shame of nakedness, but rather the freedom and fellowship with God that was only known in the Garden of Eden before the fall. Now, what is incredible in this story is that God decides to be merciful towards them, despite the fact that the righteous punishment for their trespass was death.
Now, Adam and Eve might not have gotten killed as a punishment, but death did come right then and there since God killed animals and used their skins to clothe the two sinners (Gen 3:24). Animals were sacrificed to cover their shame, a shadow of what Christ would do as our savior, dying for our sins and trespasses, covering us with His blood as a way to make us righteous before God.
The shame that comes with nudity is a consequence of sin in this fallen world. That is why we all feel it intrinsically, even if modern society wants to normalize it. And clothes signify the covering of that shame, which is also why we keep using it.
Why dress modestly?
First of all, because of what I just explained. Clothes don’t aim to cover our nudity only in a technical sense, but they serve to remind us of the grace of God who gave us life instead of death, and in His mercy covered our shame with the blood of Jesus. Remember that when you’re tempted to deliberately dress in a way that exposes your body in a dishonorable way.
Secondly, because the Bible calls us to.
In His Word God calls us, women, to dress modestly, decently and appropriately (1 Tim 2:9). And why does He do that? Because contrary to what feminism teaches regarding women’s sexuality, we are worth more than just our bodies. Women and men alike were created by the one and true God with the purpose of glorifying His name. And we can do so not by unrighteously exposing our bodies to the world, but by seeking to glorify His holy name in the way we talk, the way we think, act and yes, even in the way we dress.
Now, I’m not arguing for women to completely neglect how they look. I don’t believe that’s the way to go either. There is a reason God created us to be more aware than men of little details, and gave us the ability to make things more beautiful than they are. I believe there is a place for enhancing one’s natural beauty with makeup, colors, and beauty products in general, as long as that doesn’t become the focus of our lives. There is balance we can find in this regard.
But as we learn to be balanced on how we see beauty and modesty, we know one thing for sure: by God we are called to righteousness, and holiness, and to cultivate the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And that is enough reason to reject society’s idea on how an “empowered” woman looks like, and run to what God teaches a true woman is and seek to be one.
